Special education in public schools has drastically changed over the years and is a highly controversial issue. The laws that govern over the mandated procedures incur complications in compliance as well as with staff. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) now requires that special education students be mainstreamed in general education classrooms. This brings about its complications however with those who instruct these classes. General education teachers are not qualified to teach students with learning disabilities and are unable to properly instruct them. Ideally, a special education teacher would be present with special needs students in these classrooms, but the shortage of special education teachers causes a conflict over how much attention can be given to those with learning disabilities. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are tailored to the needs of students with different disabilities depending on their strengths and weaknesses, setting goals for them to achieve within a certain time frame. These goals can be modified however and do not always guarantee achievement. In addition, many parents of students with special needs are unsatisfied with the education that is offered to their children by public schools in their district and often call on the government to provide funds for them to be educated at more specialized institutions. Education for those with disabilities costs roughly twice as much for each student than it does for general education students. These issues create a large conflict over funding for special education programs. There are also problems surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act and the accountability standards to which schools are held. Special education students are administered the same tests as non-special education students, but they may also opt out of tests or be granted certain accomodations, obscuring the evaluation of achievement and accountability.
II. Research Summary
Chelsea researched the role of special education teachers and the problems they face in their jobs. She found that special education teachers are required to assist other professionals, parents, and students in the creation of Individualized Education Programs. They can also be found in regular education classrooms aiding and working with the general education teacher and providing personalized attention for those with learning disabilities. Unfortunately, in most cases there are not enough special education teachers available to be present in one classroom for an extended period of time and they must often travel between different classrooms to offer their services or even between different schools. Special education teachers are also required to fill out much paperwork documenting the special education process in order to comply with legislation.
Alysa researched how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) affects the special education program and students. The NCLB Act is meant to assure that all students in the US will achieve a set goal and meet the standards set for each grade. This includes all children, including students with special needs and disabilities. These children should not be expected and are not capable of meeting the same standards as children who have no special needs and are able to learn faster. The NCLB punishes teachers and the school if all children aren't meeting the set standards.
II. Group Product Overview
Introduction
Discuss individual topics
Questions
Conclusion
III. Visual Representation
IV. Research Questions and Reference Summaries
List your research questions and who is researching this question in this table. When each team member begins their research, you should link each question to its corresponding research page. Each researcher should start this page using the template "EDC 102 Fnl Proj Student Research."
Main Question: How has special education improved over time? What's been done to regulate special education and protect the interest of special education students?
Now that you've researched your issue, discuss your results and write two paragraphs expressing your opinions. The first paragraph should explain the majority opinion. The second paragraph should summarize other opinions held by team members about the issue.
Chelsea believes that full inclusion of special education students in general education classrooms can only be successful when special education teachers can spend an adequate amount of time with the disabled students to provide them with effective personalized instruction. Without the help of the additional staff member, general education teachers will be unable to provide those students with the attention necessary to keep up with the rest of the class, and they are also not qualified to be expected to instruct special needs students. Pull out programs on the other hand offer another set of problems. While learning disabled students are pulled out of the classroom, they miss important lessons. In addition, extensive communication between the special education teacher and the general education teacher in this case must exist in order to make sure the learning disabled acquire all the information necessary to make sure they keep up with the rest of the class.
Alysa thinks
VI. Notes for Next Year's Students
There are several important aspects of the special education topic that deserves attention from those interested in the field of education. The debate over conclusion is one of these. It is required by law that special education students be mainstreamed, however this may cause difficulties for the general education teacher who is responsible for educating these students to the best of their ability. General education teachers though are not trained to know their needs or the implications of the disabilities they have or how to best serve them. Ideally, special education teachers should be present in the classroom to aid special needs students, but there is a shortage of available special education teachers. Full inclusion can be compared to "pull out" programs, which take children with learning disabilities out of the classroom for a portion of the day to receive special attention in certain areas. This makes children feel excluded however and they then miss class activities while they are out. In addition, being placed in a setting with other students with disabilities slows down learning. Successful full inclusion programs show that special needs students are more motivated, challenged, and have higher self esteem. General education students benefit from the experience by showing a greater acceptance of people with differences.
Funding is another important issue concerning special education. Special needs students require approximately twice as much funding that general education students. In addition, hiring much needed additional special education teachers to be present in mainstreamed classrooms costs more money. Many public schools lack sufficient programs for students with learning disabilities because of the great amount of money required. As a result, parents of special needs students often demand more attention for their children or funding to send them to alternative schools.
Based on your classmate's feedback after your presentation, write a paragraph that informs students in next year's class about what topics related to your presentation that you think deserve their attention.
Special Education
I. Description of Problem or Issue
Special education in public schools has drastically changed over the years and is a highly controversial issue. The laws that govern over the mandated procedures incur complications in compliance as well as with staff. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) now requires that special education students be mainstreamed in general education classrooms. This brings about its complications however with those who instruct these classes. General education teachers are not qualified to teach students with learning disabilities and are unable to properly instruct them. Ideally, a special education teacher would be present with special needs students in these classrooms, but the shortage of special education teachers causes a conflict over how much attention can be given to those with learning disabilities. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are tailored to the needs of students with different disabilities depending on their strengths and weaknesses, setting goals for them to achieve within a certain time frame. These goals can be modified however and do not always guarantee achievement. In addition, many parents of students with special needs are unsatisfied with the education that is offered to their children by public schools in their district and often call on the government to provide funds for them to be educated at more specialized institutions. Education for those with disabilities costs roughly twice as much for each student than it does for general education students. These issues create a large conflict over funding for special education programs. There are also problems surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act and the accountability standards to which schools are held. Special education students are administered the same tests as non-special education students, but they may also opt out of tests or be granted certain accomodations, obscuring the evaluation of achievement and accountability.II. Research Summary
Chelsea researched the role of special education teachers and the problems they face in their jobs. She found that special education teachers are required to assist other professionals, parents, and students in the creation of Individualized Education Programs. They can also be found in regular education classrooms aiding and working with the general education teacher and providing personalized attention for those with learning disabilities. Unfortunately, in most cases there are not enough special education teachers available to be present in one classroom for an extended period of time and they must often travel between different classrooms to offer their services or even between different schools. Special education teachers are also required to fill out much paperwork documenting the special education process in order to comply with legislation.Alysa researched how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) affects the special education program and students. The NCLB Act is meant to assure that all students in the US will achieve a set goal and meet the standards set for each grade. This includes all children, including students with special needs and disabilities. These children should not be expected and are not capable of meeting the same standards as children who have no special needs and are able to learn faster. The NCLB punishes teachers and the school if all children aren't meeting the set standards.
II. Group Product Overview
IntroductionDiscuss individual topics
Questions
Conclusion
III. Visual Representation
IV. Research Questions and Reference Summaries
List your research questions and who is researching this question in this table. When each team member begins their research, you should link each question to its corresponding research page. Each researcher should start this page using the template "EDC 102 Fnl Proj Student Research."Main Question: How has special education improved over time? What's been done to regulate special education and protect the interest of special education students?
V. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about Issue
Now that you've researched your issue, discuss your results and write two paragraphs expressing your opinions. The first paragraph should explain the majority opinion. The second paragraph should summarize other opinions held by team members about the issue.Chelsea believes that full inclusion of special education students in general education classrooms can only be successful when special education teachers can spend an adequate amount of time with the disabled students to provide them with effective personalized instruction. Without the help of the additional staff member, general education teachers will be unable to provide those students with the attention necessary to keep up with the rest of the class, and they are also not qualified to be expected to instruct special needs students. Pull out programs on the other hand offer another set of problems. While learning disabled students are pulled out of the classroom, they miss important lessons. In addition, extensive communication between the special education teacher and the general education teacher in this case must exist in order to make sure the learning disabled acquire all the information necessary to make sure they keep up with the rest of the class.
Alysa thinks
VI. Notes for Next Year's Students
There are several important aspects of the special education topic that deserves attention from those interested in the field of education. The debate over conclusion is one of these. It is required by law that special education students be mainstreamed, however this may cause difficulties for the general education teacher who is responsible for educating these students to the best of their ability. General education teachers though are not trained to know their needs or the implications of the disabilities they have or how to best serve them. Ideally, special education teachers should be present in the classroom to aid special needs students, but there is a shortage of available special education teachers. Full inclusion can be compared to "pull out" programs, which take children with learning disabilities out of the classroom for a portion of the day to receive special attention in certain areas. This makes children feel excluded however and they then miss class activities while they are out. In addition, being placed in a setting with other students with disabilities slows down learning. Successful full inclusion programs show that special needs students are more motivated, challenged, and have higher self esteem. General education students benefit from the experience by showing a greater acceptance of people with differences.
Funding is another important issue concerning special education. Special needs students require approximately twice as much funding that general education students. In addition, hiring much needed additional special education teachers to be present in mainstreamed classrooms costs more money. Many public schools lack sufficient programs for students with learning disabilities because of the great amount of money required. As a result, parents of special needs students often demand more attention for their children or funding to send them to alternative schools.
Based on your classmate's feedback after your presentation, write a paragraph that informs students in next year's class about what topics related to your presentation that you think deserve their attention.